Development rules for St. Margarets Bay area on Halifax council agenda

The placid district outside Halifax encompassing St. Margarets Bay Road and Hammonds Plains and Peggys Cove roads is at a crossroads.

To this end, municipal staff are recommending Halifax council consider proposed planning and land-use changes to address unease in the area about the look and feel of the place.

The growing area has traditionally been one of “small- and moderately-scaled commercial development,” says a staff report going to council Tuesday. But that has changed.

“In recent years, large-format commercial development has emerged. The scale, appearance and environmental impact of such development are of concern in the community,” the report says.

It says a vision “that calls for development that is more reflective of the traditional character of St. Margarets Bay” is more to the community’s liking.

Proposed planning amendments would address such matters as “permitted land uses, building footprint, building appearance, surface parking, building height, front yard setbacks, (signs), lighting, landscaping and pedestrian access,” a municipal notice published last month in The Chronicle Herald says.

It says that “the overall aim is to retain and enhance the character of a coastal village while allowing for compatible businesses and services.”

This vision goes back years. The staff report says council in 2010 directed planners to start a process involving the consideration of land-use and planning changes.

Staff acknowledge there’s “need for change” and are recommending new municipal policies to establish a Tantallon Crossroads Coastal Village designation, says the city hall report, prepared by senior planner Marcus Garnet.

“The existing … regulations do not achieve the (community’s) vision that was expressed” at three public workshops about development and other issues related to daily life in the area, the report says.

Achieving “an acceptable balance” in the mainly rustic district is crucial, it says.

In the future, “care must be taken in how individual sites are developed and serviced, guided by the proposed policies, recommended zoning and provincial regulations,” the report says.

The municipality’s notice in this newspaper says a public hearing on the proposed amendments is to take place Tuesday at city hall. Start time is 6 p.m.